


Love It A Little

by TheCinematicRevealThatBatmanIsDead



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Nothing Happens But I Like It, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 12:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5374754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCinematicRevealThatBatmanIsDead/pseuds/TheCinematicRevealThatBatmanIsDead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short piece that touches on why I love Monster Hunter. Guildmarm's name is Sophia, by the way. That's canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love It A Little

“Got something for you, Doodle.”

The thick cardstock crumbled at the edge in Doodle’s grip, and Sophia’s eye twitched. Doodle was a sweet kid, but he was not particularly delicate, and Guild stationery cost a pretty zenny. “What’s this?” he asked, his voice muffled by the iron faceplate of his Rathalos Helm.

“New Guild Quest. The Caravaneer and I just came back from a Guild-hosted auction, and we picked up licenses for a ton of sweet quests. We went back and forth for a while on whether or not to buy this one, but I convinced him that you could do it.”

“He didn’t think I could do it?” Doodle asked as he peeled away the red wax seal and tucked it and the letter into his pouch.

Sophia poured another glass of tea. “You know how he is,” she said. “You’re like a son to him. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.”

“So, are you gonna take it?”

“Absolutely. Let me get my stuff together.”

Doodle strode across the square to where The Man sat stoking the fire in his furnace. The two talked while Little Miss Forge tinkered with a red gem, cutting it down so it would fit perfectly into a slot on Doodle’s armor. The two men shook hands, and Doodle retreated to his room. Sophia leaned back in her chair, away from the punishing heat Val Habar’s afternoon sun. A Level 30 Zinogre. How lucky could that guy possibly be?

In a flash, he returned, clad in jet-black Gore Magala gear. The purple trim gave off an eerie glow, and the beast’s scales moved fluidly with him. It wasn’t armor. It was a second skin. A question crawled unprompted from her diaphragm, leapt from her lips without her permission.

“What’s the secret?”

She was sure she’d only muttered it, but Doodle stopped and turned to look at her.

“The secret?” he asked.

She nodded.

“The secret is...to kill them, you’ve gotta love ‘em a little.”

There was a smile in his voice, and in his walk. Sophia couldn’t help grinning.

 

The Hunter bowed to the beast. When he rose, their eyes met. The beast regarded him silently, and time slowed to a crawl. The jagged rocks beneath their feet, the Ioprey scrambling for cover, the raging storm brewing in the distance, all fell away. There was only the beast, and the Hunter. Then, almost imperceptibly, the Zinogre dipped its head. The Hunter understood.

The gesture was not one of surrender, nor was it a challenge. It was gratitude.

Scholars within the guild, as well as without, have rabidly debated the theory that monsters have the ability to comprehend human concepts like compassion, honor, and loathing. For Hunters, it has never been a question.

The Hunter returned the gesture, a slight downward motion of the chin. In an instant, the air boiled, the Zinogre roared, and the Hunter drew his blade. The two animals had made a contract, and one would sign it with blood.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written by the Macho Man, Randy Savage. I cannot take any credit whatsoever for its creation.


End file.
